Method of reducing voids in dough

ABSTRACT

Methods of making dough pieces that can be baked to form baked bread articles having a reduced number of voids in the crumb are provided.

BACKGROUND

A number of manufacturing methods have been employed in order to makevarious types of bread articles, such as loaves, buns, rolls, biscuits,and breadsticks, from a sheet of dough. In such high volumemanufacturing systems, a sheet of bread dough may typically be extruded,reduced, and provided to a conveyor that conveys the sheet of doughalong a dough travel path. The sheet of dough then encounters one ormore cutting apparatus, such as slitter wheels, guillotine-type cutters,reciprocating head cutters, or rotatable drum-type cutters. Suchcutters, traditionally, have employed very thin or sharp cutting edgesin order to cut the dough. For instance, many such cutting edges areonly approximately 1/32 of an inch thick.

However, such cuts can render aesthetically unpleasing dough pieces. Forexample, rather than resulting in a bun that has rounded corners andwhich resembles a hand-made bun, the cut bun has sharp and squared offedges which can be aesthetically undesirable. U.S. Pat. No. 6,902,754reports a blunt edge dough cutting or dough-engaging surface that isconfigured to pull a first surface of the dough toward a second surfaceof the dough, when the cutter is impinged on the dough sheet. Thisdevice tends to pinch the two surfaces of dough together, and also, whendesired, severs the dough sheet. This results in a dough product thatmore closely resembles a hand formed dough product, with rounded edges,rather than straight or sharply angled edges. The blunt edge doughcutting or engaging surface can achieve a high throughput while stillmaintaining its advantages.

In some instances, dough pieces that are formed from sheeted dough usinga dough cutter may result in baked articles having an undesirable numberof voids in the crumb of the baked article. This problem is particularlyprevalent in small baked articles (e.g., small dinner rolls) that areprepared from white dough compositions (i.e., dough compositioncomprising mainly refined flour) using a blunt edge cutter. Voids in thecrumb of the baked bread article are aesthetically undesirable to theconsumer of the baked bread article. In view of the foregoing, a methodof reducing voids in the crumb of baked articles that are prepared fromwhite dough compositions using a blunt edge dough cutter is desirable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described further in connection with the attacheddrawings, wherein like reference numbers have been used to indicatedlike parts and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a baked breadarticle in the form of a dinner roll.

FIG. 1A illustrates a cross-sectional view of the dinner roll of FIG. 1taken along line 1A-1A.

FIG. 1B illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a bakedbread article in the form of a dinner roll.

FIG. 1C illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a bakedbread article of the invention in the form of a dinner roll.

FIG. 2 illustrates a dinner roll cutter.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the dinner roll cutter shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cutting operation using the dinner roll cuttershown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of a dough piece cut using the dinnerroll cutter of FIG. 2.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the invention provides a method of making a dough piecethat can be baked to form a baked bread article having a reduced numberof voids in the crumb. In one embodiment, the method of making a doughpiece comprises the steps of:

(a) providing a sheet of a developed dough composition having a firstsurface and a second surface, the developed dough compositioncomprising:

-   -   (i) a flour component comprising white or refined flour,    -   (ii) a liquid component,    -   (iii) a leavening agent, and    -   (iv) a void-reducing amount of a fiber or bran;

(b) providing a dough cutting apparatus having a movable cutter with adough-engaging portion that extends sufficiently to sever the doughsheet,

(c) severing the dough sheet with the dough-engaging portion to form adough piece; and

(d) causing the moveable cutter to release the dough piece.

In another embodiment, the method of making a dough piece comprises thesteps of:

(a) providing a sheet of a developed dough composition having a firstsurface and a second surface, the developed dough compositioncomprising:

-   -   (i) a flour component comprising white or refined flour,    -   (ii) a liquid component,    -   (iii) a leavening agent, and    -   (iv) a void-reducing amount of a fiber or bran;

(b) providing a dough cutting apparatus having a movable cutter with adough-engaging portion that extends sufficiently to sever the doughsheet, the dough-engaging portion having a dough shaping surface toshape and sever the dough sheet;

(c) causing the dough shaping surface of the dough-engaging portion tocontact the first surface of the dough sheet and thereby drawing thefirst surface toward the second surface and substantially pinching thefirst and second surfaces together;

(d) severing the dough sheet with the dough-engaging portion after thefirst surface and the second surface become substantially pinchedtogether to form a dough piece; and

(e) causing the moveable cutter to release the dough piece.

Advantageously, the dough pieces formed by the method of the inventioncan be baked to form baked bread articles having a reduced number ofvoids in the crumb. As used herein, a “void” refers to an open area orgap in the crumb portion of a baked bread article that has at least onedimension of about 0.5 inch or greater. Voids may be observed by cuttingthe baked bread article in order to reveal a cross-sectional surface ofthe crumb. Although useful in a variety of sheeted dough methods, doughcompositions comprising a void reducing amount of a fiber or bran areparticularly useful when the dough pieces are to be formed using a bluntedge dough cutter, for example, of the type reported in U.S. Pat. No.6,902,754. Such blunt edge dough cutters have been observed to formdough pieces that are particularly susceptible to the formation of voidswhen baked.

Dough pieces of the invention are prepared from dough compositions thatcomprise a “void-reducing amount” of a fiber or bran. It has beenobserved that by adding a void-reducing amount of a fiber or bran to adough composition otherwise formulated to produce a white bread, thenumber of voids in the crumb of the resulting baked bread article can bereduced as compared to a dough composition formulated without thevoid-reducing amount of the fiber or bran. For example, in someembodiments, the total number of voids in the crumb is reduced by about20% or more as compared to a dough composition formulated without thevoid-reducing amount of fiber or bran. In other embodiments, the totalnumber of voids is reduced by about 25% or more as compared to a doughcomposition formulated without the void-reducing amount of fiber orbran. In other embodiments, the total number of voids is reduced byabout 50% or more as compared to a dough composition formulated withoutthe void-reducing amount of fiber or bran. In yet other embodiments, thetotal number of voids is reduced about 75% or more, or even about 90% ormore as compared to a dough composition formulated without thevoid-reducing amount of fiber or bran.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments of the invention described herein are not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed inthe following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosenand described so that others skilled in the art can appreciate andunderstand the principles and practices of the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1 a representative baked bread article 10 in theform of a diner roll is shown. Baked bread article 10 includes outercrust 12 and inner crumb 14. Referring now to FIG. 1A, a cross sectionalview of dinner roll 10 of FIG. 1 is shown taken along line 1A-1A. As canbe seen in FIG. 1A, outer crust 12 surrounds crumb 14. Crumb 14 is madeup of a cellular-like structure including a multiplicity of very smallair pockets 15 distributed throughout a continuous portion 16 comprisinggluten (not shown) and partly gelatinized starch granules (not shown).Baked bread article 10 includes voids 20 that are randomly distributedthroughout crumb 14 of article 10. As shown in FIG. IA, voids 20 areirregular in size and shape and are significantly larger iscross-sectional dimension than air pockets 15.

Referring now to FIG. 1B, a cross-sectional view of another baked breadarticle 10B is shown. Baked bread article 10B has a plurality of voids20B of various shapes and sizes located in crumb 14B. FIG. 1Billustrates a baked bread article that has undesirable number of voids20B in the crumb 14B and may be objectionable to a consumer. Referringnow to FIG. 1C, a cross-sectional view of a baked bread article of theinvention 10C is shown. Baked bread article 10C has a small number ofvoids 20C in crumb 14C. In accordance with the invention, crumb 14Ccomprises a void-reducing amount of a fiber or bran. FIG. 1C illustratesa baked bread article having an acceptable number of voids in the crumband that would be considered to be acceptable to a consumer.

Useful dough compositions are developed doughs that comprise a flourcomponent comprising white or refined wheat flour, a liquid component(e.g., water), a leavening agent (e.g., yeast and optionally one or morechemical leavening agents), and a void-reducing amount of a fiber orbran material. The dough compositions may also include otheringredients, for example, fat (e.g., oil or shortening), sweetener(e.g., sugar or high fructose corn syrup), emulsifier, doughconditioner, enzymes, dairy products, egg products, processing aids,flavorings, and other ingredients typical of white bread articles.

The flour component of the dough composition comprises white or refinedwheat flour. White or refined wheat flour is typically prepared bygrinding only the endosperm of a wheat kernel after it has beenseparated from the bran and the germ. By contrast, whole-wheat flour isprepared by grinding the endosperm along with the bran and germ. In someembodiments, the white or refined flour is bleached. In someembodiments, the flour component consists essentially of white orrefined wheat flour. In other embodiments, the flour component consistsof white or refined wheat flour. In some embodiments, the flourcomponent comprises about 95% weight or greater white or refined wheatflour. In other embodiment, the flour component comprises 99% weight orgreater white or refined wheat flour.

Representative examples of white or refined wheat flours includeall-purpose flour (i.e., a blend of hard and soft wheat), bleachedflour, bread flour (i.e., made up of hard wheat flour), bromated flour,and high-gluten flour. Useful white or refined wheat flours arecommercially available, for example, from Archer Daniels Midland Co. Insome embodiments, the dough composition comprises white or refined flourin an amount ranging from about 35% to about 75% weight based on thetotal weight of the dough composition.

Dough compositions useful in the invention comprise a void-reducingamount of a fiber or bran. As used herein “bran” refers to thefiber-rich husk on a grain or seed. Although not wishing to be bound bytheory, it is believed that the fiber or bran provides interruptions inthe gluten matrix that limit the ability of internal bubbles to coalesceand expand during baking. The fiber or bran is added to the doughcomposition in an amount that is effective to reduce the number of voidsthat form in the crumb when the dough composition is baked to form abaked bread article. For a given dough piece, the void-reducing amountof fiber or bran may depend upon several factors including, for example,the method of forming the dough piece, the type of fiber or bran used inthe dough composition, the particle size of the fiber or bran used inthe dough composition, and the type and amount of other ingredientsmaking up the dough composition. In some embodiments, the fiber or branis present in an amount of about 0.5% weight to about 25% weight of thetotal weight of the dough composition. In some embodiments, the fiber orbran has a mild flavor so that it does not alter or detract from thetaste of the baked bread article. In some embodiments, the fiber or branis light in color so that the baked bread article has an appearance thatis very similar to white bread (i.e., bread made from only white orrefined flour). In other embodiments, the fiber or bran is darker incolor, but is used in the dough composition in a small enough amount sothat the crumb of the baked bread article has the appearance of whitebread.

Representative examples of useful fibers and brans include grain-basedfibers (e.g., oat fiber), grain bran (e.g., oat bran, durum bran, andwhole grain durum flour), cellulose-based fibers, vegetable-basedfibers, fruit-based fibers, sugar beet fiber, bamboo fiber, andpolydextrose. Combinations of the foregoing may also be useful. A usefulsource of oat bran is commercially available under the trade designation“OAT BRAN 140” (from Grain Millers, Inc.). Cellulose-based fiber iscommercially available under the trade designation “SOLKA-FLOC POWDEREDCELLULOSE (from International Fiber). Fruit-based fiber is commerciallyavailable under the trade designation “LOW MOISTURE APPLE FIBER” (fromTreetop Fruit Ingredients). Sugar beet fiber is commercially availableunder the trade designation “FIBREX SUGAR BEET FIBER” (fromInternational Fiber Corp.). Bamboo fiber is commercially available underthe trade designation “JUSTFIBER BAMBOO FIBER” (from International FiberCorp.). Polydextrose is commercially available under the tradedesignation “LITESSE” (from Danisco). Cottonseed fiber is commerciallyavailable under the trade designation “JUSTFIBER COTTONSEED FIBER” (fromInternational Fiber Corp.).

In some embodiments, the dough composition comprises a void-reducingamount of oat fiber. In some embodiments, the dough composition maycomprise about 0.5% weight or greater oat fiber, for example, about 1%weight or greater or about 2% weight or greater oat fiber based on thetotal weight of the dough composition. In some embodiments, the doughcomposition may comprise about 10% by weight or less of oat fiber, forexample, about 9% weight or less, about 8% weight or less, about 7%weight or less, about 6% weight or less, about 5% weight or less, about4% weight or less, about 3% weight or less, about 2% weight or less, orabout 1% weight or less oat fiber based on the total weight of the doughcomposition. In an exemplary embodiment, the dough composition comprisesbetween about 1% to about 5% by weight oat fiber based on the totalweight of the dough composition. Suitable oat fiber is commerciallyavailable under the trade designation “CANADIAN HARVEST OAT FIBER” (fromSun Opta Ingredients).

In some embodiments, the dough composition comprises a void-reducingamount of durum bran. Durum bran is typically derived from the branportion of durum wheat, amber durum wheat, hard amber durum wheat, orred durum wheat. In some embodiments, the dough composition may compriseabout 0.5% weight or greater durum bran, for example, about 1% weight orgreater or about 2% weight or greater durum bran based on the totalweight of the dough composition. In some embodiments, the doughcomposition may comprise about 10% weight or less durum bran, forexample, about 9% weight or less, about 8% weight or less, about 7%weight or less, about 6% weight or less, about 5% weight or less, about4% weight or less, about 3% weight or less, about 2% weight or less, orabout 1% weight or less durum bran based on the total weight of thedough composition. In an exemplary embodiment, the dough compositioncomprises about 0.5% weight to about 6% weight durum bran based on thetotal weight of the dough composition.

In some embodiments, the durum bran is provided in the form of wholegrain durum flour. Useful whole grain durum flour is described, forexample, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/212,860, filed Aug. 26,2005, titled WHOLE GRAIN PRODUCTS MADE WITH WHOLE GRAIN DURUM WHEAT. Insome embodiments, the dough composition may comprise about 0.5% weightor greater whole grain durum flour, for example, about 1% weight orgreater or about 2% weight or greater whole grain durum flour based onthe total weight of the dough composition. In some embodiments, thedough composition may comprise about 15% weight or less whole graindurum flour, for example, about 14% by weight or less, about 13% weightor less, about 12% weight or less, about 11% weight or less, about 10%weight or less, about 9% weight or less, about 8% weight or less, about7% weight or less, about 6% weight or less, about 5% weight or less,about 4% weight or less, about 3% weight or less, about 2% weight orless, or about 1% weight or less whole grain durum flour based on thetotal weight of the dough composition. In an exemplary embodiment, thedough composition comprises about 1% to about 15% weight whole graindurum flour based on the total weight of the dough composition. Inanother exemplary embodiment, the dough composition comprises about 2%to about 10% weight whole grain durum flour based on the total weight ofthe dough composition.

Examples of liquid components in the dough composition include water,milk, eggs, and oil, or any combination of these. Water may be addedduring processing in the form of ice, to control the dough temperaturein-process; the amount of any such water used is included in the amountof liquid components. The amount of liquid components included in thedough composition can depend on a variety of factors including thedesired moisture content and rheological properties of the doughcomposition. In some embodiments, water is included in an amount rangingfrom about 15% weight to about 50% weight based on the total weight ofthe dough composition.

The dough compositions may optionally include egg or dairy products suchas milk, buttermilk, or other milk products, in either dried or liquidforms. Non-fat milk solids which can be used in the dough compositioncan include the solids of skim milk and may include proteins, mineralmatter, and milk sugar. Other proteins such as casein, sodium caseinate,calcium caseinate, modified casein, sweet dairy whey, modified whey, andwhey protein concentrate can also be used in these doughs.

The dough composition may optionally include fat ingredients such asoils (liquid fat) and shortenings (solid fat). Examples of suitable oilsinclude soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, and othervegetable oils. Examples of suitable shortenings include animal fats andhydrogenated vegetable oils. If included, fat is typically used in anamount less than about 10 percent by weight, often less than 5 percentby weight of the total dough composition. For example, certainembodiments include soybean oil in an amount from about 1 to 2 weightpercent.

The dough composition may optionally include one or more sweeteners,either natural or artificial, liquid or dry. Examples of suitable drysweeteners include lactose, sucrose, fructose, dextrose, maltose,corresponding sugar alcohols, and mixtures thereof. Examples of suitableliquid sweeteners include high fructose corn syrup, malt, and hydrolyzedcorn syrup.

The dough composition may include additional flavorings, for example,salt, (e.g., sodium chloride and/or potassium chloride), whey, malt,yeast extract, yeast (e.g., inactivated yeast), spices, vanilla, and thelike as known in the dough making arts. Certain embodiments include saltin an amount less than about 2% weight, for example, in the range fromabout 0.5% to 1.5% weight.

The dough composition may optionally include other additives, colorings,and processing aids such as emulsifiers, strengtheners (e.g., ascorbicacid), enzymes, preservatives, and conditioners. Suitable emulsifiersinclude lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, polyglycerol esters, and thelike, e.g., diacetylated tartaric esters of monoglyceride (DATEM) andsodium stearoyl-2-lactylate (SSL). Acidulants commonly added to foodsinclude lactic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, aceticacid, phosphoric acid, and hydrochloric acid. Enzymes may be includedfor anti-staling, dough strengthening, texturizing, shelf life extensionand processing optimization. Examples of enzymes include amylases (e.g.,alpha amylase), lipases, pentosanases, and xylanases. Enzymes may beobtained, for example, from Danisco (Copenhagen, Denmark).

Conditioners, as are known in the dough products art, can be used tomake the dough composition tougher, drier, and/or easier to manipulate.Examples of suitable conditioners can include azodicarbonamide,potassium sulfate, potassium sorbate, L-cysteine, L-cysteinehydrochloride, sodium bisulfate, mono- and di-glycerides, polysorbates,sodium bisulfite, sodium stearoyl lactylate, ascorbic acid anddiacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and di-glycerides (DATEM), and thelike. These conditioners may add functionality, reduce mix times, andprovide softness to the doughs to which they are added. In someembodiments, the dough composition includes L-cysteine in an amount upto about 90 ppm.

The dough compositions may be yeast leavened or chemically leavened.Yeast leavened refers to dough compositions that are leavened primarilydue to the production of gaseous metabolited by yeast; chemicalleavening agents may optionally be present, but in minor amounts,preferably less than about 10% by weight chemical leavening agent basedon the total weight of the leavening agent (yeast and chemical leaveningagent) or may not be present at all. Yeast is included to producegaseous metabolites (e.g., carbon dioxide) that cause the doughcomposition to rise. The yeast may be any suitable yeast known to thoseof skill in the art, for example, fresh cream/liquid yeast, freshcompressed yeast, active dry yeast, and instant yeast. In someembodiments, the yeast is fresh compressed yeast (e.g., in cake orcrumbled form) comprising about 65% to about 75% water and about 25% toabout 35% yeast. The amount of yeast can be an amount that will producea desired volume of gaseous metabolites, as known to one of skill in theart. Typically, the amount of yeast added to the dough compositionranges from about 0.25% to about 10% weight on a dry basis based on thetotal weight of dough composition.

In some embodiments a chemical leavening agent is used in addition toyeast. If present, a chemical leavening agent typically comprisesacidulants and bases. Representative examples of acidulants includeSALP, SAPP, GDL and MCP. Representative examples of bases include sodiumbicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, and ammonium bicarbonate. Often,chemical leavening agents are present in a minor amount relative to thetotal weight of the yeast.

Representative examples of baked dough articles include French bread,Italian bread, hoagie or submarine sandwich buns, dinner rolls,hamburger buns, hard rolls, Kaiser rolls, hot dog buns, bratwurst buns,or bolillos (Mexican tapered rolls). In some embodiments, the bakeddough articles are prepared from dough pieces having a piece weight ofabout 1 to about 20 ounces (28.4 to 567 grams) before baking. In oneembodiment, the dough article comprises a dinner roll having a pieceweight of about 1 to about 1.25 ounces (28.4 to 35.4 grams) beforebaking. In another embodiment, the dough article comprises a hoagie orsubmarine sandwich bun having a piece weight of about 4 ounces to about8 ounces (113.4 to 226.8 grams) before baking. In another embodiment,the dough article comprises a hot dog bun or bratwurst bun having apiece weight of about 1.5 ounces to about 3.0 ounces (42.5 to 85.0grams) before baking.

The dough composition may be prepared according to conventionaltechniques known in the dough making arts. In some embodiments, thedough composition is processed into dough pieces using the methoddescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,902,754 (Evans et al.). FIG. 2 illustratesa sheet of dough 25 and a cross section of a cutter 26. In theembodiment of FIG. 2, the cutter 26 is substantially round in shape,however, other shapes may also be used. Dough cutter 26 has cuttingportion 28 that engages and cuts dough sheet 25. Cutting portion 28, inthe embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 is round or blunt. In someembodiments, blunt cutting portion 28 has a radius of curvature of about0.125 to about 0.250 inch. Blunt portion 28 is formed about the bottomof annular ring 30, which defines the cutting depth of cutter 26. Insome embodiments, the thickness of annular ring 30 is in the range ofabout 0.25 to 0.50 inch. FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of cutter 26illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 illustrates that, in the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 2-3, cutter 26 has a substantially similarly shapedinner edge 32 and outer edge 34.

FIG. 4 illustrates the use of dough cutter 26 in cutting dough sheet 25.Cutter 26 can be mounted to one of any number of different types ofcutting mechanisms which either press cutter 26 onto dough sheet 25, orcause dough sheet 25 to be pressed into cutter 26. In either case,cutting portion 28 of cutter 26 engages a surface 36 of dough sheet 25.In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, cutter 26 is pressed againstupper surface 36 of dough sheet 25, toward lower surface 38 of doughsheet 25. As cutter 26 is depressed against the dough sheet, cuttingportion 28 begins to make an impression in the upper surface 36 of doughsheet 25.

Cutting portion 28 is wide enough such that frictional engagementbetween the upper surface 36 of dough sheet 25 and cutting portion 28acts to draw, or pull, the top surface 36 of dough sheet 25 downwardly,as indicated by arrows 40, toward the bottom surface 38. The pressureexerted by cutting portion 28 also acts to pinch together top surface 36of dough sheet 25 and bottom surface 38. This results in a more roundeddough piece 42 as shown in FIG. 5. Thus, rather than having straight andsquared off edges, dough piece 42 has rounded edges 44, which are formedby upper surface 36 of dough sheet 25 being pulled toward the bottomsurface 38 of dough sheet 25 when dough sheet 25 is severed by cuttingportion 28 of cutter 26.

The dough pieces may optionally be frozen, for example at a temperatureranging from about −10° F. (−23° C.) to about 10° F. (−12° C.). Prior tobaking a frozen piece, the dough piece can be thawed and proofed in acontrolled manner (e.g., using a proofer, retarder, or by floorproofing) prior to baking. The dough pieces can be baked by conventionalmethods, such as by oven baking. Exemplary baking temperatures can be inthe range of about 325° F. (163° C.) to about 400° F. (205° C.). Thedough pieces can be baked in any type of oven, such as conventional,convection, or impingement.

The invention will now be further described with reference to thefollowing non-limiting examples.

EXAMPLES Examples 1-3 and Comparative Example A

Dough Preparation:

Dough compositions having the ingredients listed in TABLE 1 wereprepared. First, all dry ingredients were added to the mixer. The liquidingredients were then added to the mixer. The ingredients were mixed onlow speed (36 rpm) for about 1 minute. Following this, the ingredientswere mixed on high speed (72 rpm) for about 9 minutes. The resultingdough had a temperature of 68° F.±2° F. and a Farinograph of 850±50 BU.TABLE 1 Comp Ex. Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Ingredient (Weight %)(Weight %) (Weight %) (Weight %) Flour 57.12 53.06 47.21 41.77 WholeGrain 0 2.79 8.33 13.92 Durum Flour Water 29.70 29.60 29.99 29.80 HighFructose 4.57 4.47 4.44 4.46 Corn Syrup Soybean Oil 0.31 0.31 0.31 0.31Fresh 6.85 8.38 8.33 8.35 Crumbled Yeast Salt 1.12 1.10 1.09 1.10 Dough0.31 0.30 0.30 0.30 Conditioners/ Enzymes

The resulting dough compositions were sheeted on a Rondo brand sheeterand were then formed into dough pieces using a Moline brand lineequipped with crimp disc cutters with 1.5 inch spacing. The targetweight of the cut dough piece was 230 grams and the target length was 10inches. The resulting dough pieces were then frozen. The dough pieceswere placed in an oil-sprayed 5 channel perforated pan, which was placedin a retarder for 16 hours. Following the retarder, the dough pieceswere allowed to sit covered at room temperature for 1 hour. Each doughpiece was then scored lengthwise down the center of the dough piece. Thedough pieces were then baked at 350° F. (with 30 second steam) using aGemini brand rack oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until brown.

After baking, each baked article was cut in half lengthwise along thescore line. The voids in the crumb of the baked articles were measuredand counted. The results are presented in TABLE 2. TABLE 2 Voids % TotalVoids ½ to greater than Number of Reduction Formula Voids 1 inch 1 inchPieces in Voids Comp. Ex. A 15 10 5 8 — Example 1 6 5 1 8 60 Example 2 32 1 8 80 Example 3 4 2 2 8 73

Examples 4-6 and Comparative Example B

Dough compositions having the ingredients listed in TABLE 3 wereprepared. First, all dry ingredients were added to the mixer. The liquidingredients were then added to the mixer. The ingredients were mixed onlow speed (36 rpm) for about 1 minute. Following this, the ingredientswere mixed on high speed (72 rpm) for about 9 minutes. The resultingdough had a temperature of 68° F.±2° F. and a Farinograph of 850±50 BU.TABLE 3 Comp Ex. B Example 4 Example 5 Example 6 Ingredient (Weight %)(Weight %) (Weight %) (Weight %) Flour 57.12 53.06 47.21 41.77 WholeWheat 0 2.79 8.33 13.92 Durum Flour Water 29.70 29.60 29.99 29.80 HighFructose 4.57 4.47 4.44 4.46 Corn Syrup Soybean Oil 0.31 0.31 0.31 0.31Fresh 6.85 8.38 8.33 8.35 Crumbled Yeast Salt 1.13 1.10 1.09 1.10 Dough0.31 0.30 0.30 0.30 Conditioners/ Enzymes

The resulting dough compositions were sheeted on a Rondo brand sheeterand were then formed into dough pieces using a Moline brand lineequipped with crimp disc cutters with 2.5 inch spacing. The targetweight of the cut dough piece was 545 grams and the target length of thedough piece was 13 inches. The resulting dough pieces were frozen. Thedough pieces were placed in an oil-sprayed perforated 4 channel pan,which was placed in a retarder for 16 hours. Following the retarder, thedough pieces were stretched to a length of 22 inches. Each dough piecewas then scored with five diagonal scores. The dough pieces were thenbaked at 385° F. (with 30 second steam) using a Gemini brand rack ovenfor about 25 to 30 minutes.

After baking, each baked article was cut in half lengthwise. The voidsin the crumb of the baked articles were measured and counted. Theresults are presented in TABLE 4. TABLE 4 Voids % greater than Number ofReduction Formula Total Voids 1 inch Pieces in Voids Comp. Ex. B 3 3 4 —Example 4 1 1 4 67 Example 5 0 0 4 100 Example 6 0 0 4 100

Examples 7-8 and Comparative Example C

Dough compositions having the formulations and ingredients shown inTABLE 5 were prepared. First, all dry ingredients were charged to amixer. Then, all liquid ingredients were charged to the mixer. Theresulting composition was mixed on low speed (36 rpm) for 1 minute,followed by mixing on high speed (72 rpm) for 9 minutes. The finaltemperature of the dough compositions was 68 F±2 F and the doughcompositions had a Farinograph of 850±50 BU. TABLE 5 Comp. Ex. C Example7 Example 8 Ingredient (Weight %) (Weight %) (Weight %) Flour 55.6855.07 53.03 Water 29.23 30.56 29.43 High Fructose Corn Syrup 4.45 4.414.24 Soybean Oil 0.31 0.30 0.29 Yeast 6.68 6.61 6.36 Salt 1.11 1.10 1.06Durum Bran 0 1.65 5.30 Dough Conditioners/Enzymes 0.30 0.30 0.28

The resulting dough compositions where sheeted on a Rondo sheeter andwere formed into dough pieces using a Moline line equipped with a crimpdisc hoagie cutter having a 1.5 inch spacing. The target length of thedough pieces was 10 inches (25.4 cm) and the target weight was 230±15grams. The resulting dough pieces were then frozen.

The frozen dough pieces were placed in an oil-sprayed 5 channelperforated pan which was placed in a retarder for 17 hours. Followingthe retarder, the dough pieces were allowed to sit covered at roomtemperature for 1 hour. Each dough piece was then scored lengthwise downthe center of the dough piece. The dough pieces were then baked using aGemini brand rack oven at 350 F (with 30 second steam) for 20 to 25minutes, or until brown.

After baking, each baked article was cut in half lengthwise along thescore line. The voids present in the crumb of the baked article wasmeasured and counted. The results are presented in TABLE 6. TABLE 6Voids less Voids % Total than greater than Number of Reduction FormulaVoids ¾/inch ¾ inch Pieces in Voids Comp. Ex. C 12 10 2 24 — Example 7 63 3 24 50 Example 8 3 3 0 24 75

Examples 9-10 and Comparative Example D

Dough compositions having the formulations and ingredients shown inTABLE 7 were prepared. First, all dry ingredients were charged to amixer. Then, all liquid ingredients were charged to the mixer. Theresulting composition was mixed on low speed (36 rpm) for 1 minute,followed by mixing on high speed (72 rpm) for 9 minutes. The finaltemperature of the dough compositions was 68 F±2 F and the doughcompositions had a Farinograph of 850±50 BU. TABLE 7 Comp. Ex. D Example9 Example 10 Ingredient (Weight %) (Weight %) (Weight %) Flour 56.1453.82 52.84 Water 26.63 27.95 28.11 High Fructose Corn 8.12 8.12 8.12Syrup Yeast 5.21 5.21 5.46 Soybean Oil 1.63 1.63 1.63 Salt 1.09 1.091.09 Dough Conditioner/ Enzymes 0.84 0.84 0.84 Flavor 0.07 0.07 0.14Baking Powder 0.27 0.27 0.27 Oat Fiber 0 1.00 1.50

The resulting dough compositions where sheeted using a Rondo brandsheeter and were formed into dough pieces using a Moline brand lineequipped with a 2″ crimp hexagonal shaped cutter (see, FIG. 11A of U.S.Pat. No. 6,902,754). The target weight of the resulting dough piece was35.4 grams. The resulting dough pieces were then frozen.

The frozen dough pieces were placed on a paper-lined sheet pan and wereplaced in a retarder for about 12-14 hours. Following the retarder, thedough pieces were allowed to sit covered at room temperature for about1.5 to 2.5 hours. The dough pieces were then baked using a Bakers Aidbrand rack oven at 350° F. (with 30 second steam) for 13 to 17 minutes.

After baking, each baked article was cut in half lengthwise. The voidspresent in the crumb of the baked article was measured and counted. Theresults are presented in TABLE 8. TABLE 8 Voids % Total Voids lessgreater than Number of Reduction Formula Voids than ¾ inch ¾ inch Piecesin Voids Comp. Ex. D 36 22 14 48 — Example 9 29 20 9 48 19 Example 10 1210 2 48 67

All publications and patents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated byreference. The publications and patents disclosed herein are providedsolely for their disclosure. Nothing herein is to be construed as anadmission that the inventors are not entitled to antedate anypublication and/or patent, including any publication and/or patent citedherein.

Other embodiments of this invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art upon consideration of this specification or from practice of theinvention disclosed herein. Various omissions, modifications, andchanges to the principles and embodiments described herein may be madeby one skilled in the art without departing from the true scope andspirit of the invention which is indicated by the following claims.

1. A method of making a dough piece that can be baked to provide a bakedbread article having a reduced total number of voids, the methodcomprising the steps of: (a) providing a sheet of a developed doughcomposition having a first surface and a second surface, the developeddough composition comprising: (i) a flour component comprising white orrefined flour, (ii) a liquid component, (iii) a leavening agent, and(iv) a void-reducing amount of a light-colored fiber or bran; (b)providing a dough cutting apparatus having a movable cutter with adough-engaging portion that extends sufficiently to sever the doughsheet, (c) severing the dough sheet with the dough-engaging portion toform a dough piece; and (d) causing the moveable cutter to release thedough piece.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dough-engagingportion of the movable cutter has a dough shaping surface to shape andsever the dough sheet; and wherein the method further includes the stepof causing the dough shaping surface of the dough-engaging portion tocontact the first surface of the dough sheet and thereby drawing thefirst surface toward the second surface and substantially pinching thefirst and second surfaces together.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising the step of baking the dough piece to form a baked breadarticle.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the dough-engaging portion ofthe movable cutter is blunt.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the flourcomponent consists essentially of white or refined flour.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein the fiber or bran is selected from the groupconsisting of oat fiber, oat bran, durum bran, cellulose-based fibers,grain-based fibers, whole grain durum flour, vegetable fiber, fruitfiber, sugar beet fiber, bamboo fiber, polydextrose, or a mixturethereof.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the fiber or bran is presentin the dough composition in an amount ranging from about 0.5% to about25% by weight.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the fiber or bran isoat fiber.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the oat fiber is present inthe dough composition in an amount ranging from about 1% to about 5% byweight.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the fiber or bran is durumbran.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the durum bran is present inthe dough composition in an amount ranging from about 0.5% to about 6%by weight.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the durum bran isprovided in the form of whole grain durum flour.
 13. The method of claim12, wherein the whole grain durum flour is present in the doughcomposition in an amount ranging from about 1% to about 15% by weight.14. The method of claim 1, wherein the dough composition comprises:about 35% to about 75% weight white or refined flour; about 15% to about50% weight water; about 0.25% to about 10% weight yeast; and about 1% toabout 5% weight of oat fiber.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein thedough composition comprises: about 35% to about 75% weight white orrefined flour; about 15% to about 50% weight water; about 0.25% to about10% weight yeast; and about 0.5% to about 6% weight durum bran.
 16. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the dough composition comprises: about 35% toabout 75% weight white or refined flour; about 15% to about 50% weightwater; about 0.25% to about 10% weight yeast; and about 1% to about 15%weight whole grain durum flour.
 17. The method of claim 3, wherein thetotal number of voids in the baked bread article is reduced by about 20%or greater as compared to a total number of voids in a baked breadarticle prepared from a dough composition formulated without thevoid-reducing amount of light colored fiber or bran.
 18. A dough piecemade by the method of claim
 1. 19. A baked bread article made by themethod of claim
 3. 20. A method of making a baked bread articlecomprising the steps of: (a) providing a sheet of a developed doughcomposition having a first surface and a second surface, the developeddough composition comprising: (i) a flour component comprising white orrefined flour, (ii) a liquid component, (iii) a leavening agent, and(iv) a void-reducing amount of a light-colored fiber or bran; (b)providing a dough cutting apparatus having a movable cutter with adough-engaging portion that extends sufficiently to sever the doughsheet, (c) severing the dough sheet with the dough-engaging portion toform a dough piece; (d) causing the moveable cutter to release the doughpiece; and (e) baking the dough piece to form a baked bread article;wherein the baked bread article has a total number of voids that isreduced by about 20%. or greater as compared to a total number of voidsin a baked bread article prepared from a dough composition formulatedwithout the void-reducing amount of light colored fiber or bran.